


About Time

by whowhatwhere20



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Co-workers, F/M, Fluff, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Karaoke, One Shot, Pining, Romance, happy hour
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:01:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26954032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whowhatwhere20/pseuds/whowhatwhere20
Summary: “Hermione!” Blaise and Theo shouted in greeting. Blaise slid from his stool with a smirk as Theo grinned and elbowed Draco in the ribs.Of all the times to lose his Slytherin sense of subtlety, it had to be now.~~ Alternatively ~~A Ministry happy hour provides Draco with the opportunity he needs to finally talk to the witch who has been avoiding him.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 4
Kudos: 93





	About Time

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy this little one-shot! Inspired by one of my stories written on ff.net under a different penname and for a different fandom.

**About Time**

_How deep is your love, how deep is your love_

_I really need to know_

_Cause we’re—_

Draco grimaced as he downed his firewhiskey, willing himself to ignore the god awful singing in the background. He hated karaoke. _Plebeian muggle invention._ How did his coworkers convince him to come to this Ministry happy hour?

“You’re here because you owe us a good time after all the shit we put up with these past two months,” Blaise said, as if reading Draco’s mind.

“Yeah, that thestral trafficking ring was a right nightmare,” Theo added, sidling up to Draco’s side with two tumblers in hand. He passed a glass to Draco, adding, “but more alcohol will help drown out the singing.”

Draco sighed, grabbing the firewhiskey from Theo’s hand.

“There are big ships, and there are small ships,” Theo began with a goofy grin, “but the best ships… are friendships!”

“I simply cannot believe we are friends, Theodore,” Blaise intoned dryly.

Draco rolled his eyes and downed the drink with his friends. Even after all the hard work they had put into compiling evidence, strategizing the sting, and filing paperwork— _hours and hours of bloody paperwork—_ they were still giant pains in his ass. He relaxed his jaw and turned to survey the room.

Fuck. He saw—

“Hermione!” Blaise and Theo shouted in greeting. Blaise slid from his stool with a smirk as Theo grinned and elbowed Draco in the ribs. _Of all the times to lose his Slytherin sense of subtlety, it had to be now._

Blaise continued, “It feels like we haven’t seen you in weeks, Bellissima. How have you been? Still gorgeous as always, I see.”

Hermione didn’t even need to fight off the need to blush as she flashed a wry smile. “Blaise, your flirting is weak at best. Are you out of practice? Dry spell?”

She sighed and took the empty stool next to Draco. “I’ve been busy, boys. The Wizengamot hearing is happening in 12 days and things have to be perfect. How about you two?”

Draco noticed the pains she took to not look him in the eye _or even address him_ and smirked. Ever since their all-too-brief encounter by the mistletoe at the holiday party, she had been avoiding him. For once, he hadn’t outright tried to pursue the witch of his interest—a sure sign that he actually liked her. Instead, he had been…strategizing. _Or a nice way say chickening out_ , Draco thought to himself, darkly.

He turned his body towards Hermione. “Oh you know,” Draco said casually, “Catching criminals, saving endangered creatures, getting out of sticky situations.”

Hermione willed herself not to blush. _Well, Hermione, as you predicted, he most definitely noticed your reaction under the mistletoe. However, it has been three weeks and he hasn’t done anything, so don’t fool yourself into thinking he’s interested._

Draco’s smirk broadened as he watched the emotions quickly flick across her face.

Blaise and Theo glanced between the two of them, noticing the shift in atmosphere. “Well, beautiful,” Blaise nodded to Hermione, “average-looking at best,” he nodded at Draco, “I’m afraid that we have prior business to which we must attend. You see, we have to—"

“Pick a song for karaoke!” Theo interjected enthusiastically.

Blaise grit his teeth. “Yes. That is what we are going to do. Pick a song and,” he grimaced, “sing in front of strangers. So we have to leave,” Blaise added.

Theo grabbed Blaise’s sleeve, pulling him away from the two. “Catch up with you two later!”

Hermione grinned, “I have no clue how Theo lasted in Slytherin. He has all the subtlety of the Hogwarts Express arriving at Kings Cross.”

Draco rolled his eyes, “He enjoys the attention, I suppose.”

After a brief pause, Hermione seat, she turned to the bartender. “Butterbeer, please.”

“Put it on my tab,” Draco interjected.

“Malfoy, that is _not_ necessary—” Hermione began.

“Oh, but it is, Granger. As I seem to recall we were getting pretty close at that holiday party, until someone barged in,” Draco added, raising an eyebrow.

Hermione wanted to pull her hair. “You know that Terry is just a coworker to me. He barely reaches the level of friend! I have no idea why he was looking for me that night or why he was so pissed off to see us…” Hermione trailed off, feeling a flush form on her face. The bartender slid the drink to her and she gratefully took a sip.

Draco raised his other eyebrow, “That buffoon likes you, Granger,” he said flatly.

Hermione choked on her drink. Patting her back gently to help her get the alcohol out, Draco added, “I don’t know how you’re so blind that you can’t see it. In fact,” he muttered, “you seem to be blind about a lot of things.”

Clearly her throat and wiping her eyes, Hermione asked in a raspy voice, “What do you mean, blind?”

“Well that asshole clearly likes you. He can’t stop looking at you whenever you’re in the room, he always brings you coffee, he picks your idea over others…you know, what you do when you fancy someone,” Draco stated.

“What if I’m just a good employee? Maybe I have a confident presence that commands people’s attention? Did you ever think of that?” Hermione asked.

Draco gave her a flat look. “He doesn’t just stare at your face, Granger.”

Hermione inhaled sharply, thankful she hadn’t taken another drink. “Excuse me?” she asked in a low voice.

Draco rolled his eyes. “I just don’t know how you’re so damn oblivious. You have to have had wizards hit on you and check you out. You’re twenty-fucking-six.”

It was Hermione’s turn to roll her eyes. “Malfoy, wizards aren’t exactly lining up to date me, in part for reasons you’ve impressed upon me time and again,” she motioned up and down her body before gesturing at her hair.

Draco nearly choked. She thought other wizards weren’t interested in her? Because of his offhand comments when they were children?

“Granger, you innocent little witch,” Draco began, grinning. He noticed Hermione’s face pull into a frown. “I can assure you, the men are definitely interested in…that,” Mimicking her, he motioned up and down her body.

With narrowed eyes, Hermione took a moment to consider what he said. She then flipped her hair over a shoulder, as if dismissing what he said. “First of all, if you continue to objectify me by calling me “that,” Malfoy, I’ll turn bollocks into a lovely set of earrings. And second, evidence suggests you’re flat out wrong,” she remarked.

Draco was rarely surprised, but this quick dismissal was definitely startling. He then smirked, turning his body towards Hermione’s. As he toyed with one of her curls, he asked in a low voice, “Do you, maybe, need someone to demonstrate just how interesting you are, Granger?”

Hermione surprised him, squaring her shoulders to face his and responding, “Are you up for the challenge?”

Startled, he shifted back in his seat.

“Just what I thought,” Hermione said, primly. She turned her attention back to her drink and knocked it back. “You don’t have the bollocks. Pity, seems I’ll lose out on a set of earrings”

Turning to the bartender, she raised her now-empty glass and motioned for a refill.

Draco sat, stunned. _Is she propositioning me? Is this my chance?_

Continuing on, Hermione added, “You didn’t do anything at the holiday party, so I bet you wouldn’t do anything now.”

Grabbing her newly refreshed drink from the bartender, she began to slide off the barstool, saying, “I’ll see you around, Malfoy—”

The surprise of being nose-to-chest with Draco made her stop. She hadn’t realized that he had gotten out of his seat as well. Tilting her head up to look him in the eyes, she was surprised to see the flinty look in them.

“Draco?” She began, questioningly. His hand on her waist cut her off, effectively stopping the blood flow from her brain to her mouth.

“You think,” Draco began quietly, a hint of a smirk on his face, “That I don’t have the nerve to make a move?”

Hermione was beginning to regret her decision to speak so boldly. “Well,” she stammered, “it’s just that—”

“You know, Granger, if that absolute idiot hadn’t gotten in the way that night, I don’t think we’d be in this… let’s say, predicament… right now.” He was fully smirking at this point, reveling in both her discomfort and excitement.

“Oh?” She questioned, “What would have happened?”

Draco slid his other hand into Hermione’s hair _her gorgeous, thick hair_ and brought his face tauntingly close to hers. “This,” he whispered. He brushed his lips across hers, gauging her reaction before deepening the kiss. Almost instantaneously she responded, pressing her body against his and tilting her mouth to allow him better access. She felt her body relax as she leaned into the kiss, wanting more but feeling slightly self-conscious about their very public display of affection.

Hearing hoots, hollers, and cheers, they broke apart to survey the room and noticed the many people clapping and shouting their approval.

“About damn time!” Theo yelled, Blaise swiftly handed him a handful of galleons.

“Yes, about time,” Hermione added quietly.

Draco turned to her, surprised. “How long have you been waiting for this to happen, Granger?” he teased.

“Oh, just a year or so,” she said quickly, smiling up at him. “And you said _I_ was the oblivious one.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder, grabbing her purse and moving towards the exit.

She only made it a few feet before she paused, squaring her shoulders and steeling herself. She turned to look at him. “Well,” she asked, trying to sound casual, “are you coming? Or will I have to keep waiting?”

Draco quickly gathered his things and walked swiftly to catch up to her, ignoring the renewed hoots and hollers. He slipped an arm around Hermione’s waist. He bent down and looked her in the eyes before quietly whispered, “Abso-fucking-lutely not.”

A shiver went down her spine. This sounded promising.

Straightening, he said in a louder voice, “Oh, Granger, you will never be kept waiting again.”

Draco opened the door for her. Hermione rolled her eyes and walked through the door, wondering what she had gotten herself into. Draco smirked, surveying the rest of the karaoke bar from the doorway.

_Never again_ , he thought to himself, allowing the door to close. He caught up to Hermione as she began to walk to the apparition point.

He was all in.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! As always, please leave a review or note of encouragement.


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